Blog Post

Witches. If you’re looking for an example of pure female badassery in literature, look no further than these powerfully wicked women. Witches are by far the coolest ladies in supernatural and fantasy novels. Honestly, wish I was one. It’s no secret I’m a bit obsessed with these spell casting heroines, and there is no better time to let my crone flag fly than in October. After all, it’s kind of expected to get a little spooky and no one looks twice at my pointy black hat! So with that in mind, I put on my Stevie Nicks Bella Donna record and hunkered down to brew a list of my fave witchy women.

1. Diana Bishop, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

First off our witch’s name is super cool. Thanks, Deb, for the 1692 throwback. Secondly, Diana is incredibly smart. As a History of Science professor at Yale University, Diana has long abandoned her magical roots for the practical study of history and science. She’d much rather study a book on Tesla then her families grimoire.
However, this all changes when she discovers Ashmole 782, an ancient enchanted manuscript. Then she meets the super sexy vampire Mathew Clairmont. Not gonna lie, the most exciting part of this novel for me was the historical context. Personally, I could have done without Matty the bloodsucker. All in all, Diana gets 3 out of 5 broomsticks for knowing her supernatural S*&%.

2. Sabrina The Teenage Witch (in all her incarnations)

Am I the only one who spent YEARS dreaming that her linen closet would take her to another realm where there was literally always a fog? You can’t have a list on witches without mentioning Sabrina. First, as her squeaky clean self in TV’s Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Then as her super cool, dark occult incarnation in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina graphic novel and Netflix TV series.
In this version, the Spellmans live in a mortuary. Hilda and Zelda are members of The Church of Night. Sabrina’s dad is soooooo not the DILF you remember. I’m mean, he’s still cute and all but totally, totally evil. And did I mention these are the same fine folks who brought us the Archie Horror comics? While TV Sabrina gets 3.5 broomsticks for being a classic, her comic counterpart gets 4 for embracing her dark side.

3. Mannon Blackbeak from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

Mannon is beyond cool. She is over 100 years old, is a literal man-eater, and has iron teeth and nails. Seriously, she has sheaths of iron that come down over her nails and teeth so she can rip out the throats of her enemies. She also won’t take anyone’s BS. That includes her grandmother’s, who happens to be the head of the coven and killed her own daughter, Mannon’s mother. The family drama in the Blackbeak clan is a page turner for sure.
Though a pivotal character in the Throne of Glass series, Mannon definitely deserves her own series. If it was a prequel and just showed her century-long pre-conscience wicked ways we would not complain. Mannon gets 4.5 broomsticks. Of course, they would most likely be equipped with various weapons. Also, her trusty Wyvern (fantasy-speak for a dragon) naming her the most wicked witch of them all makes her my favorite.Honorable mentions!
Hermonie Granger, Molly Weasley of Harry Potter, the Owens women of Practical Magic, Cerce, Goddess of Magic from Greek myth and The Iliad, She turns men into pigs and has a super dope pad. All the ladies of Charmed.
But who are some of your favorite spellcasters? Tell us in the comments below!
If you are interested in one of the novels or items mentioned here give your local Bookmans a call! One of our staff members will be happy to check our shelves.
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